Sy is the first and only Filipino to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, now on its third year in the Philippines. The APEA recognizes and honors business leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing successful businesses within the Asian region. The awards also aim to gather leading entrepreneurs across Asia to spur greater innovation, fair practices and growth in entrepreneurship. Today, the awards covers Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, China and the Philippines.

Among the notable recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the past 10 years were: Yeoh Tiong Lay, the founder of YTL Corp., the largest conglomerate in Malaysia; Teh Hong Piow, the founder of Public Bank Berhad, one of the largest banks in Malaysia; food magnate Sam Goi, chairman of Tee Yih Jia Group of Singapore; Dr. Ciputra of PT. Ciputra Group, one of the leading property developers in Indonesia; Dr. Mokhtar Riady, founder of the Lippo Group of Indonesia; and real estate magnate Hui Wing Mau of the Shimao Group of Hong Kong, to name a few.

Sy is the founding chairman of SM. To many, he is the Father of Philippine Retail, having successfully built SM into a dominant player in the country’s retail industry with its highly progressive and innovative approach. Like his Chinese name predicted and with his vision, passion and hard work, Sy transformed Shoemart, from a humble shoe store, into SM, now a highly recognizable brand and icon with interests and presence in retail, banking, and property development.

Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization dedicated to recognizing entrepreneurship development across the region.

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) first came into being as the Chamber of Philippine Department Stores and Retailers, Inc. (CPDSRI) in 1976. In 1991, after winning the bid to host the 6th Asian Retailers Conference and Expo, the bi-annual event of the Federation of Asian Retail Associations (FARA), the Chamber changed its name into Philippine Retailers Association and adopted the now famous shopping bag logo.